Perpetual calendar and indicator.



J. F. DODD.

PERPETUAL CALENDAR AND INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1915.

1,163,325. Patented Dec. 7, 1915 E lfiL E 157i.

335 J.FDODD m J-LSJKLQ LOLL'MBIA FLANOIJRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

FFIC

JAMES F. DODID, OF DELAWARE, OHIO.

PERPETUAL CALENDAR AND INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Application fi1ed January 4, 1915. Serial No. 470.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. DODD,-3,' citizen of the United States, residing at Delaware, in the county of Delaware and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perpetual Calendars and Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a calendar and display device and has for its object to provide a device of this character which can be used as a perpetual calendar and embodies novel features of construction whereby thedisplayed data can be easily and quickly changed in the required manner from day to day or from time to time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which is attractive in its appearance, which can be quickly adjusted, and which is not liable to get out of repair.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being point ed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which s Figure l'is a front elevation of one form of perpetual calendar constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4.1 of Fig. 3. F ig. 5 is a plan. view of a portion of one of the webs, showing one side thereof. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the opposite side of the corresponding portion of the said web. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion of the other web, showing data on one side thereof,and Fig. 8 is a similar view of the opposite side of the corresponding portion of the said other web, showing the data thereon.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and inclicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

Specifically describing the presentembodiment of the invention, the numerals 1 designate the corresponding ends and the numerals 2 the corresponding sides of the main frame upon which the calendar mechanism is mounted. This main frame is shown as two ends 1 thereof are provided with corresponding hangers 3 so that the frame may be readily suspended from a nail or like support and can be quickly reversed when de sired. The hangers 8 have a hinged construction so as to be collapsed against the ends 1 of the main frame when not in use. When one of the hangers 3 is used the corresponding end of the frame 1 is at the top of the calendar, while when the other hanger 3 is used the opposite end 1 of the frame is at the top of the calendar. It may also be noted that as the position of the frame is thus reversed, opposite sides thereof are caused to face outwardly from the wall or other support upon which the frame may be mounted.

The sides 2 of the main frame are formed toward opposite ends thereof with corresponding bearing openings l, the two said openings d in each of the sides being connected by a longitudinal slit 5. A tension screw 6 extends across each of these slits 5 and by tightening or loosening the tension screws the frictional engagement between the sidesof the bearing openings and the reel sections journaled therein can be increased or decreased as found necessary.

Opposed reels are journaled within the corresponding bearing openings 4: at opposite ends of the main frame and these opposed reelsare formed in corresponding sec tions which have a clutch connection with each other so that they may either be locked together or separated and rotated independently of each other. In the present instance each of the reels includes the two sections 7 and 8 whichare mounted upon a central rod 9 so as to rotate freely thereon and at the same time have a limited sliding movement thereon. The rod 9 serves to hold the sections 7 and 8 of the reel in proper alinement with each other and to support the same in the required manner, The

opposite ends of each of the rods 9 are provided with the nuts or heads 10 which serve as stops to engage the ends of the reel sec tions and limit the sliding movement of the reel sections upon the rod. The outer ends of the reel sections 7 and 8 project laterally beyond the main frame and have the finger knobs 11 applied thereto. In the present in stance these finger knobs 11 are formed with central openings which receive the extremities of the corresponding reel sections and provide clearance spaces for the reception of the nuts or heads 10. The outer ends of the openings are shown as closed by means of removable plugs 12.

The inner ends of the reel sections 7 and 8 are provided with corresponding clutch members so that the reel sections may be either locked together so as to rotate in unison or drawn apart so as to be rotated independently of each other. In the present instance the inner end of the reel section 8 is provided with a. conical head 13 adapted to be received within a corresponding recess in the reel section 7. The head 13 is provided with an annular series of longitudinal openings 14L adapted to receive corresponding pins 15 projecting from the reel section 7. When the two reel sections 7 and 8 are drawn apart the pins 15 are retracted from the openings 1% so that the two reel sections can be rotated independently of each other. However, when the two reel sections are pushed together and manipulated to bring the pins 15 into the openings 14 the two reel sections are locked together and both reel sections may be rotated together by turning either one of the finger knobs 11. The operation of this clutch connection will be clear from Fig. 3, in which the clutch members are shown in a closed or interlocking connection by full lines and in an open position by dotted lines. The corresponding sections of the opposed reels are connected by webs having proper characters thereon, the said characters preferably running in a reverse order upon opposite sides of the web so that the necessity of rewinding the web can be avoided by simply reversing the calendar. In the present embodiment of the invention the two reel sections 7 are connected by a web 14 and the two reel sections 8 by a web 15. These two webs may have any desired characters applied thereto at proper intervals so that the characters will be successively displayed as the Webs are unwound from one of the reels and wound upon the opposite reel. As illustrated, the web 14: has the various days of the week marked thereon, while the web 15 has the days of the month marked thereon. On one side of the web 14 the consecutive days marked thereon at 16 run in one direction, as indicated by Fig. 5, while upon the opposite side of the web the consecutive days marked thereon at l6 run in a reverse direction, as indicated by Fig. 6. In a similar manner, the consecutive days of the month marked upon one side of the Web 15 at 1'7 run in one direction, as indicated by Fig. 7, while upon the opposite side of the web the consecutive days 1'7 run in the reverse direction, as indicated by Fig. 8. In order to set the data upon the two webs 14 and 15 in a proper relation to each other, the clutch connections between the reel sections may be opened and one of the webs moved independently of the opposite web until the webs are brought into the desired relation. The clutches may then be closed and the two webs moved together until such time as it may again be necessary to repeat the adj 11stment. When the ends of the webs are reached, instead of rewinding the webs in the usual manner, the operator merely reverses the position of the main frame by swinging the same upside down so that the side thereof previously facing toward the wall faces outwardly. This can be readily done by reason of the fact that the two ends 1 of the frame are each provided with a hanger 3, as has been previously described. Owing to the fact that the data upon opposite sides of the webs have a reverse sequence, it will be obvious that when the last character of the series is reached upon one side of the web, the first character of the series will be displayed upon the opposite side of the web so that by merely reversing the. main frame the necessity for rewinding the web to start again at the beginning of the series of characters is avoided. With the foregoing construction the web is moved step by step in one direction with the characters on one side thereof being displayed and is then moved back step by step in the opposite direction with the characters on the other side thereof being displayed.

Connecting the opposed sides 2 of the frame at points adjacent the reels and arranged parallel thereto are transverse guide wires 18 around which the webs 1 k and 15 pass and which serve to keep those portions of the webs between the reels in a plane parallel to the face of the frame. The extremities of the guide rods 18 are oflset as indicated at 18 so as to clear the longitudinal slits 5 in the side pieces and are secured to the side pieces adjacent to the said slits. With this construction the transverse guide Wires serve to maintain the exposed portions of the webs substantially in the plane of the two slits 5. By tightening the tension screw 6, as has been previously mentioned, the bearings 4. may be brought into a proper frictional engagement with the reels so that the reels are held against slipping or accidental turning and the portions of the webs between the reels can be kept in a taut condition with the characters thereon displayed in the most effective manner. When the calendar is reversed, a slight relative adjustment of the two webs will ordinarily be sufficient to bring the characters thereon into a proper relation so that the reels may be subsequently turned in unison as the calendar is set from day to day.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A display device of the character described including a supporting frame, opposed reels journaled upon the frame and formed in corresponding sections, a rod extending axially through each of the reels and having the various reel sections rotatably and slidably mounted thereon, webs connecting the corresponding sections of the opposed reels, and a clutch connection between the sections of the reels so that they may either be locked together to rotate in synchronism or separated so as to rotate independently of each other.

2. A display device of the character described including a supporting frame having corresponding bearing openings in opposite sides thereof, opposed "reels journaled within the bearing openings and formed in corresponding sections, a rod extending through each of the reels and having the various reel sections rotatably and slidably mounted thereon, finger pieces applied to the ends of the reel sections for rotating the same and moving them longitudinally upon the rod, webs connecting the corresponding sections of the opposed reels, and a clutch connection between the reel sections so that they may either be locked together to rotate in synchronism or separated so as to rotate independently of each other.

3. A display device of the character described including a supporting frame having corresponding bearing openings in opposite sides thereof, opposed reels journaled within the bearing openings and formed in corresponding sections which project through the bearing openings, a rod extending axially through each of the reels and having the reel sections rotatably and slidably mounted thereon, heads at the end of the rod to limit the sliding movement of the reel sections, finger knobs applied to the projecting ends of the reel sections and having openings therein to receive the heads of the rod, webs connecting the corresponding sections of the opposed reels, and clutch connections between the sections of the reels so that the sections of each reel may either be locked together to rotate in synchronism or separated so as to rotate independently of each other.

4. A. display device of the character described, including a supporting frame, opposed reels mounted upon the frame and formed with corresponding sections, each reel section being mounted to have both a rotary and a longitudinal movement, a clutch connection between the sections of each reel so that they may be locked together to rotate in synchronism or moved apart and separated so as to rotate independently of each other, and webs connecting the corresponding sections of the opposed reels.

5. A display device of the character described, including a supporting frame having corresponding bearings in opposite sides thereof, opposed reels journaled within the said bearings and having the ends thereof projecting from the sides of the supporting frame, the said reels being formed in corresponding sections and each reel section being mounted to have both a rotary and longitudinal movement, clutch means between the sections of the reels so that they are locked together and rotate in synchronism when moved toward each other and can be rotated independently of each other when moved apart, webs connecting the corresponding sect-ions of the opposed reels, and. finger knobs applied to the projecting ends of the reels for manipulating the same.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. DODD.

\Vitnesses:

IRA A. HERN, H. H. BEEOHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

